When the term innuendo was first introduced in English during the early sixteenth century, it served as a legal term for providing a parenthetical explanation of a reference. By the 1670s, its meaning expanded to encompass “indirect suggestion” in a broader context, sometimes even inappropriately. The word originates from Latin, where it literally meant “by nodding”, as nodding is a form of referencing something. This stems from the ablative form of innuendum, which was the gerund of the Latin verb innuere, signifying “to nod to” or “to signify”. Breaking it down, we can see the prefix in-, meaning “towards”, and the hypothetical Latin verb nuere, interpreted as “nod”. While unattested, it is believed to have existed and is likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European root new, also meaning “nod”. Interestingly, the English word nod is likely unrelated to nuere, as it is traced back to Proto-Germanic hnudan, which does not share the same PIE root.
